Not sure the previous owner attempted to use it, but I have a few times and it does not engage. And yes, I rolled about 15-25ft each time, giving it a chance to line up and lock in. While in 4Lo, from a standing start.

Could a build up of gunk prevent the motor from engaging the pins? I haven't changed the diff fluid yet. I am quite certain the previous owner hasn't changed the diff fluid as that would've been out of the norm for him.

Any thoughts?

 

check fuse, connections and make sure you have power to the circuit/motor.
but yes junk could block it. have you tried it from a stand still with out moving forward? been 3 years since I had an elocker..
some times people do the gray wire mod which allows you to engage in high range too but they hose the wiring...

 

Can you hear It working?

Transition light?

Anything????

 

The light just blinks. Don't hear a klack or engagement of any kind.

 

Hmmm.....may have to pull the actuator and see what the condition is. There are a couple threads about how to clean the actuator. Try ih8mud

 

Truck did come from Alabama.

 

Try driving in an 'S' when trying to engage it. Mine will almost never engage sitting still, and rarely engage when moving straight forward. It needs a little relative movement between the two rear wheels to align what it's locking together.

 

I did the S turning this morning and the light continued to blink. No sound really coming from the rear end. Will look at the fuses sometime today or tomorrow morning, and will get under the truck on Saturday.

 

was watching extreme 4x4 the other day on spike tv and you can "trick" the computer to allow you to engage the locker even in 2wd. They were having the same problem with the locker not engaging and it turned out to be a sensor. the computer never thought the truck was in 4wd so. Remove driver kick plate( the plastic piece right beside your left foot when driving) and find a black box. this should be the locker control box. I believe it is the grey wire with the green line up it. simply cut and ground this directly to the frame. This way the computer always thinks youre in 4wd and will allow the locker to engage. you can look this up on www.spiketv.com and search for tacoma build under the powerblock section of the site. hope this helps

 

/\ /\ /\ That's a nice 15 minute mod (13 minutes just slowly and carefully removing and replacing that kick panel). Now I can engage mine in 4HI and 2HI. 2HI is entertaining on wet pavement - *haaaaang* that tail end out. Stupid fun.

There's also a vehicle speed lock out for the locker engagement - if you're going over 5 mph (???) it will similarly flash and refuse to engage. But it seems a little less likely to be the issue here.

 

Yea I tried to do mine but I have the base line 02 taco and aparently on TRD come with the lockers. I should have known I wouldnt have em tho I mean my truck doesnt even have power locks or windows haha. So i'm thinking of installing aftermarket lockers on my truck. sure wish I did have factory ones because that would have been easier on my wallet haha.

 

Get it fixed yet?
What works for a lot of people when they have an e-locker that hasn't engaged in a long time and refuses to engage is they press the locker button to engage it, then drive in "R" for a few feet slowly then go foward 10-15ft slowly and repeat this a few to several times. This back and forth motion works most of the time. Going forward only seems to not work the best. If that doesn't work then i'd check fuses then wiring as other people state above.

Good luck

 

try it on dirt where your wheels can slip

brand new in 1998 mine took 15 minutes of screwing around.

over time it got better

now it engages first time every time, or after 1/8 tire rotation

 

I have a 2001 tacoma that i just bought and was testing the locker to make sure its working but its not. My "RR Diff Lock" light in my dash is flashing when i turn the switch on. I can hear the actuator moving back and forth when i play with the switch but i jacked up the rear end and spun the tires and theyre both moving in opposite directions which to me would mean that the locker isnt engaging. But when im in 4 lo it seems to always be on even without turning on the switch. if anybody has some suggestions that would be great

 

Tires moving in opposite directions does mean the locker is not engaged.

What happens when you have the truck jacked up like you did before, make sure the locker is not engaged in 2wd, then shift to 4 lo?

First thing I would do is replace the gear oil in the diff, the locker can stick if the oil is dirty. If that doesn't help, pop off the actuator and check out the little gear that activates the locker. It's got 2 nuts and a bolt holding it on very simple and quick to remove.

Once it's off, have somebody push the RR diff lock button while you are underneath watching the actuator to make sure it's working correctly, turning opposite ways each time the button is pushed.

Use a flat head screwdriver to slide the gear inside the diff back and forth to be sure it's not gummed up. Sliding towards the diff is locked, sliding towards the tire is unlocked. Easy to see the gear in this pic with the actuator off.



If none of that helps, it could be a problem with the ECU that controls the locker. You could bypass your ECU by rewiring your locker. Not very complicated, and you could use your locker anytime. Obviously you could use your stock switch.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/h...wiring-235219/

Hope this helps.

 

So i finally got to looking at my e-locker and it ended up being seized completely from corrosion of the dissimilar metals so i took it all apart and cleaned and greased everything and now it works!! Looking at the wear inside the electric motor I'm pretty sure it has either never been used or maybe only used a couple times, so now its good as new thanks alot man